Zen Cordless Dental Polisher

Client: Discus Dental

Corded prophies often cause hand strain, sometimes leading to carpel tunnel syndrome for hygienists who routinely perform 40 or more dental polishing procedures weekly. Discus Dental recognized this as a market opportunity and enlisted Karten Design to create a cordless tool that would retain existing functions that hygienists were familiar with, and improve upon the design.

We studied usage patterns to calculate the shape of the hand piece, accommodating a female hand wearing gloves. The hand piece is designed with an axial symmetrical shape in the grip area, allowing universal handling. This addresses problems associated with repetitive motion while using the tool. A sculpted shape prevents the tool from slipping in the hygienist’s hand, allowing the hygienist to place less stress on it. Zen retains existing qualities that hygienists are familiar with, such as speed control via the foot pedal and standard sanitizing procedures for the instrument. Interface areas are denoted by material breaks between the main body of the prophy and its cleanable protective barrier, available in 3 interchangeable colors.